CHICAGO – The former American Association of Diabetes Educators is now the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists (ADCES). The rebranding reflects the association’s shift from referencing the specialty title as “diabetes educator” to the more comprehensive “diabetes care and education specialist.” The new title more accurately signifies the range of expertise diabetes care and education specialists provide to people with diabetes, prediabetes and cardiometabolic conditions, the health care system, payers and providers.
“The ADCES name and specialty title integrate clinical management and expertise, which are very important aspects of our work that weren’t reflected in the title diabetes educator,” said Kellie Antinori-Lent, MSN, RN, ACNS-BC, BC-ADM, CDCES, FAADE, 2020 president of ADCES. “Our new name will help raise awareness among those who benefit from our services as well as those who are in a position to increase the utilization of diabetes education, so we can build a landscape that helps individuals achieve optimal clinical and quality of life outcomes.”
The new association name and specialty title are the end result of a multi-year, multi-stakeholder vision for the specialty initiative, which aimed to better communicate diabetes care and education specialists’ value in improving outcomes for people with diabetes through the integration of clinical management, education, prevention and support. The evidence-based rebranding process incorporated extensive qualitative and quantitative research, including interviews with 2,200 diabetes care and education specialists, people with diabetes, payers, providers and other stakeholders.
The new name better reflects the association’s mission to ensure every individual with diabetes, prediabetes or a cardiometabolic condition has access to care that is developed, supervised and/or delivered by a diabetes care and education specialist.
Research has shown diabetes self-management education provided by a diabetes care and education specialist can help people with all types of diabetes better manage their blood glucose and improves mental and emotional well-being. It also lowers the risks for complications and decreases costs by reducing or eliminating the need for medications, emergency room visits and helping to find and access cost-savings programs. Diabetes education is covered by Medicare and most health care plans.
Despite its proven value and coverage, the service is underutilized. Among people with diabetes, only 6.8% with private insurance and 5% of Medicare beneficiaries partake in diabetes education in the first year of diagnosis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Our goal is to connect more people with diabetes to diabetes care and education specialists,” said Karen Kemmis, PT, RN, DPT, MS, CDCES, FAADE who oversaw the repositioning process as the 2019 AADE president. “The name change is a necessary step as we look to move the trajectory of the specialty into the future. The long-term solution to increased utilization will require continued input from legislative, association and advocacy partners.”
To align with the association’s name change, the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators is changing its credential from certified diabetes educator (CDE) to certified diabetes care and education specialist (CDCES) and transitioning to a new name – the Certification Board for Diabetes Care and Education – throughout 2020. Those who currently hold the CDE credential will not have to retake the exam.
For more information on the rebranding of the association, visit DiabetesEducator.org/ADCES.
About the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists: ADCES is an interdisciplinary professional membership organization dedicated to improving prediabetes, diabetes and cardiometabolic care through innovative education, management and support. With more than 12,000 professional members including nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, and others, ADCES has a vast network of practitioners working to optimize care and reduce complications. ADCES offers an integrated care model that lowers the cost of care, improves experiences and helps its members lead so better outcomes follow. Learn more at DiabetesEducator.org, or visit us on Facebook (Association of Diabetes Care and EducationSpecialists), Twitter (@ADCESdiabetes) and Instagram (@ADCESdiabetes).